Adventures in the large star-filled void thingy
by yveltaldarkrai3
Summary: Failed Irken Elite Kiv is given a choice. Either be labeled as a defective, or go on a suicidal journey across space to kill Zim who has become a liability to the Empire and gain Eliteship. Armed with a small ship and a strange crew, Kiv must do everything in her power to succeed in this new trial.
1. The Beginning

**A/N: My first multi-chapter story. Please read, review, and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1: The Beginning**

 _Time stood still in that moment. Lavender eyes took in the carnage, the utter chaos contained in a small bubble_

 _Familiar faces were lost to the void, the inky blackness encompassing the tiny bubble. Something fragile was broken. The lavender eyes grew slightly duller. Another face flew by. Something that should have been remembered. Darkness closed in, just like that one time._

 **xx Planet Devastis, 3 years earlier xx**

A long line of possible Irken Elites stretched in front of each trial pod. Numerous guards stood at the ready, in case another defective decided to shut down power across half the planet again.

"Irken Kiv!" A voice boomed, "step into the pod."

Kiv moved into the trial pod, shifting impatiently for the voice to speak again.

"This trial will now commence," A toned down version of the outside voice announced," Remain standing."

Numerous wires attached to Kiv's Pak from multiple holes in the wall, before jerking back, pulling her against the wall. Her vision went black.

"An Irken Elite should be able to create advancements from objects around them, " The voice from before said, " The first trial commences.

Kiv's vision was restored. She was in a forest, only wearing her Pak and nothing else. Her ocular implants showed the time left in the Trial, as well as the objectives that she needed to complete.

"Make a fire…" She mused, before using a Pak leg to cut off a few branches from some nearby trees.

Crouching down, she activated the laser function on her Pak leg, and aimed it down at the wood she had collected. A small fire was formed, fulfilling one objective in the trial.

Two hours passed, Kiv had fulfilled most of her Trial's objectives with only 'create a death ray' and 'establish communications with the Irken Armada' left to do. Placing a piece of wood in the replacer that she had made, she activated it, creating a working antennae made out of thin tree hair laced with metal. Attaching it to her Pak, she signaled the Armada which fulfilled the second to last objective.

Taking a chunk of coal, Kiv added it to the replacer, creating a coal fired generator that could power the deathray frame she had made. Testing the ray on a tree, it worked as intended. As the last objective was completed, Kiv's vision went black again.

Kiv regained her sight, and was faced with a barrel of a gun pointed at her head.

"An Irken Elite should be able to escape any dangerous situation. Begin trial number two."

As the voice finished, Kiv slapped the gun aside, before extending a Pak leg and grabbing the being that was holding the gun. Her vision went black once more, as the objective listed in her ocular implant was completed.

"An Irken Elite should be able to do what is best for the Empire without hesitation. Trial number three will now begin."

Kiv regained her sight, only to realize that she was holding a gun, and pointing it at a shivering Irken that had a short stature and red eyes.

"Please. Spare me," The other Irken pleaded.

"This Irken has been deemed defective. The Empire wishes you to kill it, " The voice from before announced.

Kiv looked into the other Irken's eyes, noticing the fear and helplessness contained in them. Her hand spasmed violently, dropping the gun. Kiv's vision went black again.

The rest of the trials passed in a blur. As the last one ended, Kiv regained her vision to see the trial pod's wall.

"Exit the chamber," The voice from before said.

A door opened on the side of the pod. Kiv dropped off the wall as the wires detached from her Pak, before stumbling out of the pod. She was greeted by two guards, who escorted her to an enclosed room.

"Remain here until called," One guard said, before shutting the door.

Kiv sighed, before leaning against the wall. "What went wrong?" She muttered, closing her eyes, "Am I…"

Her thoughts were shattered by a deep voice calling, "Irken Kiv, exit your room and come to the judgement hall."

She did as the voice asked, striding out of the room and to the door at the end of the hallway. She entered the room, and was faced with 3 Control Brains staring down at her.

"Irken Kiv.," The middle brain spoke, "Your score on the trial was ninety-five. This would have been a passing grade for any Irken.. except for you."

"I..I don't," Kiv stammered.

"You hesitated on the third trial. Why? Are you more sympathetic towards defectives then the Empire?" The left brain fired off.

"Are you..defective?" The right brain asked, more quieter than it's brethren.

Kiv just stood in front of the brains, eyes wide and confused.

"No matter,"The center brain spoke, "You have been given another chance to gain Elite status, and erase all questions about you being a defective.

"Your mission is to kill Zim." The right brain spoke again, "We have decided that he poses too much of a threat to the will be provided with a ship, a crew, and the rank of Captain. But be warned, should you fail this mission…"

"Don't come back," The left brain finished ominously.

 **xxx Devastis' Orbit xxx**

Kiv sat wearily in the transport that would take her up to an orbiting space dock.

"They can't do this to me!" Exclaimed a voice somewhere in the ship, "Saved in space.. just to be made some sort of glorified janitor on a ship!"

Kiv stood up, curious about the voice's owner. Rounding a corner, she felt something brush up against her leg. Looking down, she tripped over the creature that had suddenly curled up on the middle of the floor and bumped her head against the bulkhead.

"Mimi. What have I told you about wearing your filthy Earth animal disguise?" The voice chastised.

Kiv looked up to see a purple-eyed, female Irken glaring down at a heavily modified SIR unit. The unit in question looked somewhat abashed.

"That idiotic unit of Zim's must've downloaded some of his personality onto you." The purple-eyed Irken said, still ignoring Kiv who slowly got to her feet.

"You. You're failed Invader Tak," Kiv said, still slightly unsteady from her fall.

"Failed?" Tak asked, incredulously, "My plans were going perfectly, until I was betrayed by my own kind. Who are you anyway?"

"Captain Kiv."

"… you're the one I'm going to work under? Let me guess… you were only smeeted two days ago." Tak said.

"It's actually complicated. You see…"

Kiv was interrupted by the a loud boom as the transport connected with the spacedock.

"Look like it's our stop," Tak said, stepping off the transport with Mimi close behind.

Kiv followed Tak, her uncertainty growing as she exited the transport. A guard greeted her as she came out onto the spacedock. "Captain Kiv?" He asked.

"That's me." Kiv confirmed.

The guard nodded. "I am guardsman Tiwe. Your ship is this way."

Kiv followed the guardsman to a Ripper docked at station 16.

"Welcome aboard Captain." Tiwe said, saluting.

Kiv saluted uncertainly, before boarding.

 **A/N: That's it for chapter one! See you all in the next one!**


	2. Captain On Deck!

**A/N: Here it is! Chapter two! As always, Rate, Review, and Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer:. IZ belongs to Jhonen Vasquez.**

 **Chapter Two:Captain On Deck!**

Kiv stepped onto the Ripper's bridge, and saw that all the crew were already at their stations.

"Captain on Deck!" A voice to her right announced.

Kiv looked over to see an Irken with crimson eyes saluting her. Looking back to her crew, she noticed them standing and saluting as well.

"At ease," Kiv replied, settling down into her Captain's seat.

"Captain. My name is First Mate Nix. I'll be helping you run the ship." The crimson-eyed Irken said, standing respectfully next to Kiv.

One-by-one, the rest of the bridge crew approached and introduced themselves to their Captain.

First, the two pilot navigators on board approached and saluted Kiv.

"I am navigator Vea." The green eyed female spoke.

"And I am navigator Aveo." The red eyed male said.

Kiv nodded and sent them back to their stations. Next was the sole communications navigator on board.

"I am communication navigator Ente." He said, saluting.

"You look...short,"Kiv said, looking slightly shocked, "I thought navigators were supposed to be..taller."

"It's some kind of defect within my growing cycle." Ente explained, "I used to be taller, but I started shrinking around my 50th year. I think it's stopped now."

"That's...interesting," Kiv replied, before sending him back to his station. Next was the weapons navigator/security officer.

"I am weapons navigator and security officer Gewehr." He said, his words stiff and respectful.

"It's nice to meet you.." Kiv replied, resisting the urge to add 'sir' to the end of her sentence.

"Glad that's out of the way." She said, sinking into her chair.

"Unfortunately not Captain,"Nix replied, there are still the other decks to contend with."

Kiv sighed, before getting up and following her First Mate to the lift. She arrived first at the 'recreational' level that contained all of the necessary living quarters and facilities needed to sustain a crew.

"Looks rather empty on this floor," Nix commented, "Looks like everyone's in the mess hall."

Kiv followed Nix out of the lift and to the room on the left.

"Welcome to the storage room, Captain," Nix said,"Quartermaster Sev should be here somewhere."

Kiv's eyes wandered around the large boxes and crates of foodstuffs."Will we really be gone that long?" She asked, "I thought Earth was only a few months away."

Nix looked over at Kiv "Remember Captain. It's a round trip." He replied, leading her out of the storage room,"Across from here is the medical bay."

The Sole Medical Irken standing in a small office glanced over as Kiv and Nix arrived in the room."Captain!" She announced, saluting," I am Medical officer Hyuna."

"This looks cramped,"Kiv idly commented, looking around.

"That's because Medics usually aren't needed on board ships," Hyuna replied," Our Paks can handle most injuries."

Nix led Kiv out of the medical bay, back into the lift. "Welcome to Main Engineering Captain." He announced as the lift arrived at the floor.

The lighting was dim here as the ship conserved power for the upper levels. Quite a lot of swearing and complaining was heard on this deck.

"Captain."

Kiv looked over to see a rather short Irken saluting her,"My name is Head Engineer Graft. Sorry I can't speak to you for long, but there are some matters that require my attention."

As the other Irken hurried away, the source of the complaining was revealed. "...stuck on this damn ship, As a damn janitor!, and all because of damn Zim!" Tak rounded the corner, carrying a mop, while Mimi carried a bucket of cleaning fluid, "I don't care what the Captain says, I'll kill Zim myself once we get to…" Tak froze as Kiv and Nix wandered into view.

"Back to your duties Janitor Tak," Nix said, passing by.

Kiv and Nix arrived at the cargo bay, which was currently swarming with Irken dockworkers. "As you can see Captain!"Nix shouted over the noise made by the many tasks that were going on,"The cargo bay isn't really big, but it can possibly fit all the crew of this ship. Anyway, I believe that's it for the major parts of the ship! Once our journey gets underway, you can greet the other crew."

As Kiv and Nix headed back to the bridge, the First Mate pulled out a data recorder." This is for when you need to record your logs,"He explained, "It's standard procedure in case something goes terribly wrong during the journey. Then the salvage ships will know what exactly happened."

"Thanks," Replied Kiv, taking the recorder. The two arrived in the bridge, where Kiv sat down in her seat. Activating her seat's communicator, she commed the Engineering level. "Are we ready to get underway?"She asked.

"Almost Captain," Graft replied,"My team just needs to get the main computer online."

Understood,"Kiv replied, cutting the transmission.

The entire ship started shaking.

"Computer online Captain," The head engineer commed, "The ship is ready."

"Set a course for Earth, Navigators." Kiv said."

"Understood Captain."

The ship's rumbling went quieter and fell silent as the it moved out into deep space.

"Ship," Kiv announced.

"Yes Captain Kiv?" The onboard computer responded.

"I will be on deck two. Inform me if anything changes. You have the bridge Nix."

"Understood Captain."

Kiv stepped into the lift, and sent it down to deck two. Upon arriving she found the corridor had more activity than usual.

She stepped surreptitiously through the crowd, not drawing much attention as she hadn't donned her uniform. She arrived at her private room that displaying the Irken military insignia on the door. Entering, she sat in front of her private terminal, plugged in a wire leading from it to her Pak, and started downloading information relating to Earth and its species. Kiv turned on the recorder that Nix had given her.

"Testing...testing." Activating the recorder, Kiv played back the message that she had said. Satisfied that the recorder had worked, she began speaking.

"Captain's Log. Stardate...2100 Irken Time. The mission is underway. Our orders..to kill Zim who has betrayed his kind multiple times. This crew feels much more different than I'm accustomed to. Even through command training, I have never had a crew that has caught me off guard like this one. They seem much more vibrant. More...alive. But on a more serious note, Janitor Tak has been known as a volatile Irken. I will keep a close eye on her, in case one of the crew provokes her. This is Captain Kiv. Signing off."

 **A/N: That's it for Chapter Two! Hope to see you in the next one!**


	3. An Unexpected Problem

**A/N:The Third Chapter! As always,Read,. Review, and Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:IZ belongs to JV**

 **Chapter 3:An Unexpected Problem**

 _Captain's Log. Stardate 2100 Irken Time. Day Three: The voyage has gone well so far. Space still looks empty. No signs of foreign ships, or even Irken military vessels. On matters of the crew, First Mate Nix has proved to be a good Captain if the need arises. It seems like he worked with the current crew before I came along. On the other hand, Tak seems to spend more time convincing herself of her worthiness as an Invader, than being a janitor. This is Captain Kiv, Signing off._

 **xxx the Bridge xxx**

Kiv sat, her head propped up against her hand, antennae drooping in boredom."How much time is left until we arrive at Earth, Navigator Aveo?" She asked.

"We're still about 3 months out Captain."

Kiv slumped even lower in her seat,"Understood. First Mate, you have the Bridge."

"Yes Captain,"Nix replied.

Kiv stood up and took the lift to the second level. Once there, she headed into the cramped mess hall, where she picked up a bag of chips off a rack on the wall.

As she ate, she stared at the recorder Nix had given her. A presence in the seat in front of her caused her to look up.

"They couldn't have given us the good stuff either,"Tak grumbled, as she stuck a dipping stick into her mouth.

"Janitor Tak," Kiv said curtly, nodding at the purple eyed Irken in front of her,"Enjoying your break?"

"If you can call it that." Tak replied, leaning back,"We both know the only reason I'm on this ship is to provide Intel on Earth and its inhabitants."

Kiv nodded, her attention focused on Tak's catlike SIR unit which was currently scratching the seat while in it's Earth disguise," Is it supposed to be doing...that?" She asked.

"Doing wha...MIMI!"Tak shouted, jumping to her feet,"That damn unit of Zim's!" The wrathful Irken stomped over and deactivated her SIR unit."I'll be down in engineering, fixing her." Tak said, picking it up and heading towards the entrance to the mess.

Kiv finished her chips, and put the bag in a nearby waste receptacle before heading back towards the bridge.

"Anything go on in my absence?"She asked, sitting back on her seat.

"Actually, there was a slight burst of colors on-screen,"Nix replied.,"I believed it was just the screen acting up, but when Vea reset the screen, it was still there."

"It might have been a stealth ship Captain." Gewehr said from his station, "The colors might have been a refraction from the nearby sun."

"Uh...Captain."

Kiv looked at her chair's communication system,"What is it Engineer Graft?"She asked, more excited than she had been earlier.

"The uh..the experimental wormhole drive's been acting up. It started about 5 minutes ago. It seems like it's charging up. I don't know where it's taking us either."

"Understood Graft. Try to stop it. I'll see what I can do from up here,"Kiv replied, before cutting the transmission. She looked around at her crew,"Why couldn't we have used the wormhole drive?"

"It's a new type that's never been used before,"Nix replied, "It supposedly doesn't work, until now that is."

"Ship!"Kiv yelled, "What is happening o the wormhole drive?"

"Unknown."

"Explain."

"The wormhole drive is reacting to unknown forces . Energy signatures do not match any known technology under the jurisdiction of the Irken Empire."

"That explains those colors,"Kiv muttered, "Engineer Graft, any progress on stopping that drive?"

"Nothing yet Captain,"The panicked engineer commed back, "In fact, it's activating."

As soon as he said that, the viewscreen of the Ripper turned white."Any idea where it'll take us?"Kiv demanded.

"This area hasn't been mapped Captain," Vea replied, rapidly tapping on her control panel,"In fact there isn't even supposed to be an opening here at all."

"As soon as we exit, establish communications with the Armada,"Kiv said, "If we even arrive in our dimension."

"We're exiting the wormhole Captain,"Aveo said, after a few moments of silence,"It looks normal outside. No signs of any abnor-"

"Captain! Look!" Nix shouted, pointing at a shape close to the edge of the viewscreen,"Earth!"

Kiv looked closer at the viewscreen, and realized that it was indeed the green and blue globe that was designated Earth. She smirked triumphantly,"We've done it! I'll finally gain my Eliteship!"She crowed,"Navigator, bring us closer to the Earth.

As the Ripper moved closer to Earth, Kiv's grin dropped,"Is it supposed to be like that?"She whispered, horrified,"It can't be."

A closer look revealed that the oceans covered much of the surface, while the land that remained looked diseased and devoid of life. As the ship came around the lighter side of the planet, a massive claw-shaped structure was seen orbiting it. A faded Irken symbol was imprinted on the structure.

"A space-station,"Kiv breathed,"Wh-what happened?"

"Communication established with the Armada, Captain,"Ente announced.

The Irken military symbol flashed on-screen, before it was replaced by a frantic looking Irken,"Attention all survivors, you are to stay clear of _static_ and make sure to use cleaning gel often, this dis-" The rest of the transmission devolved into static.

"This can't be our dimension,"Kiv said, her spooch churning,"Engineer. What's going on with the wormhole drive?"

"Nothing good Captain. The drive needs time to charge from the last journey. I'm estimating at least a day.."

"Understood. I'm calling a meeting of all head personnel in my quarters."

A few minutes later, the gathered Irkens sat uncomfortably inside Kiv's quarters.

"Alright. My plan is to orbit around what remains of Earth until the drive recharges, then we'll attempt to backtrack the way we came. Any questions?" Kiv explained.

"Just one. How will we explain this to the Armada if we get back?" Enter asked.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes,"Kiv replied,"Now back to your stations.

The day passed quickly, Kiv put the ship on high alert until they had reactivated the drive.

"Captain. The drive is ready,"Came the crackling reply from Engineering.

"Navigators, set the coordinates for our dimension."

"Yes Captain!"

The viewscreen went white again as the ship entered another wormhole.

"First Mate, you have the bridge."

"Aye Captain!"

Kiv moved into the lift, rubbing one of her antennae which suddenly ached.

Arriving at her quarters, Kiv sat down on a recliner and waited for a transmission from her First Mate.

 _Captain's Log. Stardate 2100 Irken Time. Day 4. The journey has taken a strange turn. The colors to bridge crew saw have confused me to no end, and the eerie mirror dimension has shaken me. Anyway, the crew still seem to be getting along. Tak's SIR unit has been acting very strangely. Hopefully it is fixed now. This is Captain Kiv. Signing off._

 **A/N:That's it for Chapter Three! Tell me what you think.**


	4. Problems Continue

**A/N:Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter four! Hopefully you read, eview, and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:IZ belongs to JV**

 **Chapter 4: Problems Continue**

 _Captain's Log. Stardate 2100 Irken Time. Day 5. Nothing has changed over the past few hours. We're still traveling down the wormhole with no end in sight. We still have plenty of supplies, but if we continue like this forever… anyway, the crew seems to be handling this information well. No one has suffered any injuries. This is Captain Kiv. Signing off._

 **xxx Main Engineering xxx**

"Is it supposed to be like that?"

Kiv, Graft, and other engineers stood around the wormhole drive which currently looked deformed.

"I don't know Captain. The drive has been slowly collapsing into itself this past hour. My team has been working on it but-" He shrugged helplessly.

Kiv sighed,"Very well. Keep me updated." She headed towards the lift, her head spinning from all the recent reports that had been submitted earlier.

"Captain."Nix inclined his head respectfully, allowing her to regain control of the ship.

"Any deviations in our course?"

"Nothing yet. Still the same white void we've been seeing."

Kiv nodded gloomily, before settling into her chair. Her reverie only lasted a few moments, as the ship suddenly jolted. The ship's lights shut off, leaving the bridge in darkness.

"Engineer, why have we stopped?"She demanded, calling on her personal communicator

"The device has totally collapsed in on itself Captain,"Came Grafts reply,"The fail-safes cut in just before the wormhole folded in on us. The power should return soon."

The lights flickered back on.

"Ship online,"The onboard computer boomed, "Screen rebooting."

As the screen flickered back on, the ship was revealed to be amongst a field of floating debris.

"What on Irk.."Kiv whispered, staring at the viewscreen,"Ship. Run an analysis on one of those pieces."

A slight humming noise was heard, before the computer chimed,"Unknown."

A piece of debris bounced off the hull, the noise loud in the silence of the bridge

"Get us out of here,"Kiv said, breaking the silence,"Ship. Scan for any planet's within range."

"Planet found. Uploading into database."

"While we're waiting, contact the Armada. If we're in the right dimension they should still be there,"Kiv said.

"Communication established Captain,"Ente called out.

The familiar Irken symbol appeared, and was replaced by an irritated looking navigator.

"Look if it's you salesmen again. We will track you… Who is this?"

"Captain Kiv of Ripper Cruiser 39."She replied.

"I see. Have you killed Zim yet?"

"No, but-"

The transmission was cut, leaving Kiv in stunned silence.

"At least we know we're in the right dimension,"She said, after a moment of silence.

A few hours later, a large brown planet came into view.

"Captain. A ship is attempting to communicate with us." Ente said.

Kiv stood up,"Patch him through."

The screen displayed a sandy colored humanoid that glared at the gathered Irken bridge crew.

"You are approaching the homeworld of the heffian species,"He said, arrogantly,"Leave, or have your ship captured and your crew killed."

Kiv narrowed her eyes at the alien,"You are speaking in the presence of an Irken Captain,"She said,"I would choose your next words carefully."

"I would be more frightened by my own crew than I would of you,"The other alien sneered,"Kill them."

"Arm the main laser!" Kiv cried as the main screen changed to show the outside view,"Show them the might of an Irken battle cruiser!"

The main laser located on the ship's front fired at the opposing alien's ship, scoring a few hits on the hull.

"Shields holding Captain,"Gewehr shouted over the heavy thuds of lasers hitting their hull.

The opposing ship's laser fire started to die down, as the Ripper's superior firepower destroyed the emplacements. Knowing that they were outmatched, the other ship's Captain broadcasted a message of surrender.

"Stop firing,"Kiv ordered.

"But Captain, the Irken code requires that all ships that oppose the Empire be destroyed without mercy,"Gewehr protested.

"As Captain aboard this ship I order you to-"

Kiv was cut off by the sound of the other ship's reactor blowing, and vaporizing it into particles.

"Find the next habitable planet,"Kiv said, sounding defeated.

The next few hours were spent in silence until the next planet came up. It was a lush green in color, and seemed to welcome travelers.

"A trading post,"Kiv said, perking ,"We could try to find something that could help complete our mission."

"Captain. We don't have anything to barter with. Something tells me that these aliens won't accept Monies,"Nix said.

"We'll just have to make do."Kiv replied,"Prepare the teleporters."

Outside the ship, a satellite was launched out out of the side, and maneuvered itself into a stable orbit around the planet. The teleporter beam containing Kiv and her party entered the satellite, and materialised them onto the planet's surface.

The Irken team composing of Kiv, Gewehr, and Guardsman Tiwe, who Kiv had learned was actually aboard the ship in the beginning, stumbled out into a bustling marketplace.

"Move!"Growled a large alien as he pushed the trio outof the way.

Kiv stumbled, before using her Pak legs to catch her balance,"That species needs conquering."He muttered, dusting off her uniform.

"Captain, over here!"Gewehr called, standing in a much less crowded area.

Kiv arrived and looked over at where her Security Officer pointed.

"A kiosk?"She asked, skeptically,"Wouldn't that only have the map of this area?"

"Apparently not Captain. It advertises this sector as well. We can see where we are in relation to Earth," Gewehr responded.

Kiv walked over to the kiosk, and used her Pak legs to boost her over the counter,"How much is it for one of those?"She asked, pointing to a map.

"Thirty Vlooks."The bored alien at the stand replied.

"Will you accept these?"Kiv asked, holding up an Irken Monie.

"What are those?"The alien asked,"If they aren't Vlooks, then no deal.

Kiv growled under her breath,"Listen, will you trade me something for that map?"

"Actually, there is one thing..."

A few minutes later Kiv walked away from the stand, storing the map in her Pak.

"What happened Captain?" Gewehr asked, Tiwe standing silently beside him.

"I don't want to talk about it,"She replied, brushing past him,"Nix we're ready for transport."

"Affirmative Captain. Readying the satellite,"Nix commed back.

In orbit, the satellite pointed at the location of Kiv's crew, and extended an energy beam that engulfed them and sent them along the path to the Ripper.

"I didn't find any wormhole drives, but I did find this,"Kiv said, once she arrived onto the bridge,"A map of the current sector we are in. Currently, we are 200 years away from Earth."

Exclamations of shock we're heard around the bridge,"But our supplies will only last us a few more months,"Vea said, in a worried tone.

"I understand that, but as Irkens, we have made it through most obstacles in our life. If we can get faster transportation, we can make it to Earth and back to home without losing a single crewman. All we need is-"She was interrupted by a sharp pain in her antennae.

"Captain, are you okay?" Aveo said, his eyes wide in concern.

"I-I don't know what's-"

Kiv stumbled and fell as all sense of her equilibrium disappeared. She hit her head on a bulkhead, and lapsed into unconsciousness.

"...tain. KIV!"

Kiv woke to see Nix and Medic Hyuna hovering over her in the Medical Bay.

"What happened?"She whispered.

"It must've been something on that planet,"Hyuna said grimly,"It infiltrated your nervous system, tricking your Pak into thinking it was you."

Kiv stood up,"I feel fine now. I'll be on the bridge."

"Don't overwork yourself Captain. Your Pak is still booting up from the diagnostic I ran on it,"Hyuna called out as Kiv walked out the door.

Upon entering the bridge, Nix stood by Kiv's chair, as she continued her explanation of the charts as if nothing happened.

"I believe we'll have to start trading with other species. I'm reluctant to give away Irken technology, but I'm afraid we'll have to do it to complete our mission,"Kiv explained.

The crew returned to their stations, while Kiv settled back into her seat, outshe pulled her recording device.

"Captain's Log. Stardate 2100 Irken Time. Day 6. Upon arriving in the home dimension, the warp drive was damaged. Visiting an alien planet, I found that I was infected by a malignant disease that disguised itself as my own DNA to trick my Pak into thinking everything was fine. Otherwise, the crew seems to be taking the long journey well. I haven't heard from Janitor Tak in some time. This is Captain Kiv. Signing off."

 **A/N:That's it for Chapter 4! Hopefully I'll see you in the next one!**


End file.
